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Credit & Copyright: STS-68
Crew,
NASA
Explanation:
Today,
the
Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north,
marking the Vernal Equinox -- the first day of spring in
the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the
south.
Equinox means equal night and with the Sun
on the celestial equator,
Earthlings
will experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.
For those
in the Northern Hemisphere, the days
will continue to grow longer with
the Sun marching higher
in the sky as summer approaches.
A few weeks after the northern Autumnal
Equinox of 1994,
the Crew of the Shuttle Endeavor recorded this image of
the
Sun poised above the Earth's limb.
Glare illuminates Endeavor's
vertical tail (pointing toward the Earth) along with
radar equipment in
the payload bay.
The space shuttle
is expected to return to flight later this year with the launch of
STS-114.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: equinox - space shuttle
Publications with words: equinox - space shuttle
See also:
- APOD: 2024 March 19 Á A Picturesque Equinox Sunset
- APOD: 2024 February 11 Á Rocket Plume Shadow Points to the Moon
- APOD: 2023 May 14 Á To Fly Free in Space
- APOD: 2023 March 19 Á Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
- Equinox Sunrise Around the World
- September Sunrise Shadows
- Shuttle Over Earth